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THE LUNDA KINGDOM OF MWATA KAZEMBE

References

Antonio Gamitto, King Kazembe (two volumes, translated from Portuguese).

Langworthy, Zambia before 1890.
Ian Cunnison, PhD Thesis.
Giacomo Macola, The Kingdom of Kazembe: History and Politics in North-Eastern Zambia
and Katanga to 1950. Hamburg: Lit Verlag, 2002.
Giacomo Macola, The Gun in Central Africa: a History of Technology and Politics. Athens
Ohio University Press, 2016.

Sources

Most of the history of the Lunda of Kazembe comes to us through oral traditions which were
recorded in the 20th century by the anthropologist Ian Cunnison. Also written records on this
kingdom have survived from the hands of early Portuguese explorers who visited the area in
the 18th and 19th centuries.

Origin

The history of Mwata Kazembe’s kingdom begins in the kingdom of Mwata Yamvo. There,
under the reign of Mwata Yamvo Muteba an expedition was set up to go and conquer the
lands where the Rat chief Lubunda had fled to. These lands were believed to be rich in
natural resources that were much needed in the expanding trade. The expedition was led by
Mutenda Yembe Yembe, an uncle to the Mwata Yamvo. He was assisted by Chinyanta.

On their way, the expedition came across rich salt deposits. Yembe Yembe however did not
report these findings to the Mwata. Instead, it was Chinyanta who revealed the discovery.
Yembe Yembe felt betrayed by Chinyanta, and had him killed. As compensation for the
loyalty of the dead Chinyanta, Mwata Yamvo gave Chinyanta’s son Ng’anda Bilonda the title
of Mwata Kazembe. All this is said to have happened around 1710. Yembe Yembe fled
southwards.

The first Kazembe (Ng’anda Bilonda) established himself west of the Lualaba river just south
of the Luba kingdom. Later, he crossed the Lualaba and continued migrating east. On this
migration, Kazembe 1 died. A succession dispute erupted but was settled by Mwata Yamvo.
Kanyembo, the son of Nga’anda Bilonda became Kazembe II. He was sent off to continue the
expansion of the Lunda kingdom. It was him who was given the insignia of a Lunda king: a
special type of knife, a staff, a belt, beads, rings, a dress, and a cutting of the mutaba tree
which was to be planted at his new capital.

In about 1740 Kanyembo crossed the Luapula river into Zambia. The first people he
encountered were the Ushi around the Mansa region. Kanyembo led his forces in the
conquest of chiefs of the Ng’oma clan (who ruled parts of Kawambwa and Luwingu

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districts). These included Chief Chungu of the Makulu people and Chief Chibwe of the
Chishinga. Another Chishinga chief, Lubinda, who long before had fled from Mwata
Yamvo’s kingdom, was also subdued. These groups of people were easily defeated due to the
superior organisation and weapons used by the conquering Lunda.

Finally, in about 1760, some of the Shila people, under Chief Katele, were conquered and
Kazembe’s permanent capital was established at Mwansabombwe (where Katele lived). It
was there that he planted the mutaba tree. After about twenty ears of conquest in Zambia,
Mwata Kazembe Kanyembo died and was buried in the Lunde river.

Kazember III Ilunga Lukwesa succeeded to the throne in 1760. He had a long and eventful
reign up to 1805. It was during his kingship that the Lunda kingdom was consolidated and
grew to its greatest extent in both Katanga and Zambia. He fought the Tabwa, Lungu, Shila,
and Bisa. It was also during this period that the Lunda also established trade contacts with the
Portuguese on the east coast. In this trade, the Lunda used the Bisa as middlemen.

The first Portuguese to reach the kingdom was the trader Goncalo Pereira and his son who
travelled from Tete to the Luapula Valley in 1795. There years later, in 1798, an official
Portuguese expedition led by Dr. Francisco de Larceda started off from Mozambique and
arrived at Kazembe’s capital. The Portuguese wanted to establish a link between their
colonies of Mozambique (east coast) and Angola (west coast). Therefore, they wanted to
control the trans-continental trade route that passed through Kazembe’s capital. However,
Kazembe did not allow the Portuguese to continue with their journey westwards because he
feared they could take over much of his trade once they reached Mwata Yamvo’s capital.

Kazembe IV Kaleka succeeded to the throne in 1806. Under his rule, two more Portuguese
expeditions reached Kazembe’s. The first mission was an unofficial one and led by two
Pombeiros Pedro Baptista and Amara Jose. They started off from Angola in 1802, and
reached Kazembe’s in 1806 where they remained for four years. Thereafter they continued to
Mozambique and finally returned to Angola in 1811 using the same route. They are said to
have been the first Europeans to traverse the continent of Africa from east to west coast. The
other tour was an official one. It started from Mozambique in 1831, led by two military
officers Antonio Gamitto and Jose Monteiro. Upon their arrival at Kazembe’s they were not
allowed to continue westwards. They also failed to establish the trans-continental link.

The Portuguese failed because of the military and official nature of their expeditions.
Kazembe thought they would not submit to his authority, hence could not trust them to pass
through his kingdom.

Kazembe also feared that if he allowed them to continue to Mwata Yamvo’s kingdom, his
kingdom might be side-lined from the regional trade system.

Moreover, the trade with the Swahili-Arabs from the east coast was becoming more and
important for Kazembe during the 19th century. A growing number of these traders and
Nyamwezi from Tanganyika came to Kazembe for slaves and ivory. Some of them set up
temporary settlements and integrated themselves into the kingdom. This went on smoothly

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because they came in small groups and were accustomed to the local environment. They also
accepted Kazembe’s rule.

Decline

Although the agents in the decline of the Lunda kingdom were different from those working
on the kingdom of Undi, and although they had somewhat different motives, much the same
pattern emerged here. The external forces successfully took advantage of internal political
weaknesses, especially the tendency towards decentralization on the local level, to obtain
their ends.

After Kazembe IV Kaleka’s death, the kingdom started to fall. A period of continuous
succession disputes and weak kings started. In a space of about forty years between Kaleka’s
death and the mid-1880s, there were six Kazembes that ascended to the throne. Four of them
died violent deaths. The state of affairs destabilised the kingdom and made it impossible for
the king to and the officials to concentrate on the development and security of the kingdom.
All this time the kingdom was absorbed by family quarrels and court cases. The Arab-Swahili
and Nyamwezi traders (who previously organized trade between Kazembe and the
Portuguese) are believed to have played an active part in this process by supporting rival
factions.

Initially, the traders had benefitted from Kazembe’s trade monopoly and protection. But as
their numbers increased, so too did the competition for trade and this made them bold. They
were now eager to take over the trade monopoly from Kazembe. The succession disputes and
the consequent instability enabled the traders to expand their grip on the kingdom and on the
trade in the area.

In the 1850s, Kazembe Chinyanta allowed a Nyamwezi trader, Msiri (Msidi), to settle near
Lake Mweru. Msiri started to expand his trade to the copper-rich Katanga region. As his trade
started to flourish, he also gained control and allegiance of several chiefdoms. He in turn
began demanding tribute payments from local chiefs in the Katanga whom he promised
protection from Luba raids which Kazembe was failing to do. By 1869 a large part of the
Katanga was controlled by Msiri and his Yeke followers (a branch of the Nyamwezi). In so
doing, he cut-off Kazembe’s links with the Mwata Yamvo and took over control of the
copper trade from the Katanga. Consequently, Msiri took over control of the trans-continental
trade route from Kazembe. Msiri even started raiding Kazembe’s territory forcing Kazembe
to seek assistance from the Chishinga and Bemba to defend him against Msiri.

Kazembe X Kanyembo came to power in 1874 and was able to defend and reorganize the
kingdom, but just for a while.

In 1890, a new and more powerful force came on the scene and defeated the Lunda. This was
the BSACo which in turn colonized the area.